AN INTERVIEW WITH BARBARIAN HERMIT

BARBARIAN HERMIT are a Sludge Metal quintet from Stockport, Greater Manchester and I was joined by 4 of the members to chat utter bollocks at Rebellion, Manchester, where they also played a heavy as balls show! We talked raging boob sweat, Martin Scorsese films and about the never-ending quest to find the holy brown!

(Key = FRENCHIE, Adam, Chris, Loz, Si)

So how did you all come together to form Barbarian Hermit?

Basically, Reegs [Mike Reagan, guitarist] and I have been in various bands together, we've known each other since high school. He was on hiatus from Bisonhammer, and I'd just left another band, and we were like fuck it, let's get it together and we had a couple of jams. A few different bassists came together before we got Chris and a few different vocals, and Adam... We couldn't get rid of him! But there was always a sense of direction, a sense of doomy, gloomy, stoner shit! That's what we wanted to run with.
There was this vocalist before me, Ed, who used to be in a band called Fatal Fear. They did pretty well in Korea and supported Arch Enemy. To be fair I thought [Barbarian Hermit] were complete when they had Ed, but Reegs invited me down one day to try out vocals, so I was the last member.

Manchester's Doom, Sludge & Stoner Metal scene is packed with talented bands. How do you feel Barbarian Hermit stands out from the pack?

I don't think we do!

Nope, not at all, it's Under, Under are the standout band!
Yeah Under. I agree Under!
We're in a scene crowded with Nomad, Boss Keloid...
Ten Foot Wizard!
When you come to a gig in Manchester you're playing in front of your friends and your extended family, you're not just doing it to make money, because we don't ever!
Nobody makes money! Fucking Hell!
We do stand out because I have the BEST bass rig!
That's probably true, it's a ridiculous bass rig, with an unnecessary amount of amps and pedals. But there are a handful of people who are on their everlasting search for the brown, but we are merely on the journey!
A mere pilgrim in search of the brown!

Your demo album and your live shows have been incredibly well received, are you guys in a positive place right now?

Nah, I hate my life and I want to die.
Ditto.
My job sucks, but my bass rig is fucking awesome!

Your music video for "Burn the Fire" is pretty hilarious. Frank Zappa once asked, "does humour belong in music?" and I'll ask you the same question...

I think it definitely does, you don't want to take yourself too seriously, you've got to have fun. No matter how heavy your band is or how gruesome you might sound or how brown you are, you've got to have a laugh with it.

That's like asking "do genitals have a place in sex?" Of course it fucking does, you're a whole person and you channel everything through this music.
I don't like bands who are unnecessarily quirky like "we're so crazy". There are bands like Grey Widow for instance, there's no place for humour in their set. But Chubby Thunderous Bad Kush Masters... You can just tell by the name that they're ridiculous! Tie dye and corpse paint! There's a lot of humour there. There's a place for everything, just don't be fucking quirky!

I've always wondered, how exactly do you burn the fire?!

It's just the start of the sentence as it were. Why do you burn the fire? You burn the fire for someone else.

It fits in with the tradition of working titles which were verb the noun... There was Burn the Fire, there was Finger the Witch which ended up as Widowmaker. Milk the Mermaid! 

We broke the tradition with Raging Boob Sweat.

We started playing a riff that sounded totally like Raging Speedhorn, and then we were discussing a friend who had complained about her excessive erm... Boob sweat!

There's quite a few girls who complain about their boob sweat, some of them are quite tall. Two of them in particular... No names!
It's a celebration of all things womenly and sweaty!
It's not, we've totally changed it since then, we're not singing about boobs!
Now the way that we name [songs] is after the wine that we're drinking [at the time]. 

We've had "Del Toro". "Tigerhorse" as well! "No Sleep 'til Buckfast".

No raging boob sweat!

You seem to have acquired the inescapable nickname Barbara Herman... Who came up with that?

IT WAS YOU, YA CUNT!!!
Was it me?!
It was you or that FUCKING MATT FRANKLIN [Bassist from Under]
I don't think it was me for the record!
I HATE MATT FRANKLIN!!!

When you play live, Si likes to dress up, I've seen naked bodies, stage invasions... Do you think a gig is better with a party atmosphere like that?

I think so, as long as you stay away from our amps and instruments and don't spill anything, it's alright!
Party all the time!

What are your main influences in music outside of Metal?

Definitely Springsteen... And early Fleetwood Mac is THE BEST!
When you've got a really bad gut after a kebab the night before and it sort of bubbles out!
Belle & Sebastian, Scouting For Girls!
I really like The View.
I love Air, they're great!

When we're packing down at the end of practice, we put some tunes on and it's hardly ever Metal, it's usually like Dubstep or something weirder...
It's not proper Dubstep though is it?
Post Dubstep...
It's Post Trap now.
You like screechy weird dubstep.
He likes Brostep!
2step, 4step
I like Clownstep!

When I'm at home, particularly when I'm making love, I solely listen to 200bpm nosebleed gabba from the former Czech Republic!
I once had a girl that I was "making love to" and we had The Berzerker on, and she said "you don't have to keep pace", I didn't realize I was!
I'm actually a big fan of Raphael Saadiq. He's genuine, I think he's amazing. And Steve Reich, because I'm a tragic hipster!

What inspires you completely outside of music, whether it be art, films, video games etc.?

TITS!!! FUCKING TITS!!!
I'm a big fan of Rothko since you mentioned art. The almost subliminal effect that those colour combinations have on you without engaging them consciously... I'M A DRUMMER, BUT I CAN CHAT ART... COME AT ME BRO!!! COME AT ME BRO!!!
I like the later day films of Martin Scorsese... You can sit and you can wank all over the Godfather poster on your wall if you want, but his works like Shutter Island, Wolf of Wall Street, The Aviator... They're all fantastic, I love them.
Harvey Keitel in Bad Lieutenant, that's a role model for you!
Coen Brothers for me. I could watch Coen Brothers films all day long!
The works of David Shrigley are superb!
I think my favourite colour is probably international prime blue... That's a big inspiration for me!
Willie Gibson!

Viz Comics! Gary Larson's Tales From the Far Side as well.

What does the future hold for Barbarian Hermit, and do you feel any pressure following up the demo album?

Entropy and death...
That's too far into the future! I meant the nearer future!
We've got 2 new songs written for the new album...
We've got Red Sun Festival at the end of the month, and the MMC show here [at Rebellion], so that's Barbara's big weekender, it's gonna be great! Then we've got a little tour with Boss Keloid and Chubby Thunderous Bad Kush Masters. We've got some other songs that need polishing, and we're hoping to get in the studio by the end of the year with 7 or 8 songs ready to go!

So you're feeling confident?

Yes, I feel like we've finally come together and found our direction in sound. We've settled on a groove that is Barbarian Hermit, and I think the new songs are going to be sweet!
Speak for yourself, I'm riddled with anxiety and crippling self doubt!
I think it's been a surprise for us that we've hit the scene and hit it this hard and actually got so much respect from people that we really respect. We've gone from opening up shows to headlining shows and we're really blown away by it. It's all great, we look forward to more!
I think over the next 6 or 8 months, we've going to play to a lot of new crowds rather than playing to the same people. When we first started we hadn't played Manchester for about a year, we just played other cities. So when we first played here, we'd already played a year's worth of gigs in other cities, fine tuning. So over the next 6 or 8 months we'll do it again, like version 2.0. Fine tune it, write new material... We were fairly satisfied with the quality of the demo, because we involved some good people. We got the guy from Ninja Tune Records, so what can we do to make it sound bigger? We're only going to learn if we go out and do it. Hopefully we'll follow the path that Boss Keloid and Conan already set and just give it a bash, because why not?
We also have the wedding bands, which is where we all dress up in drag and play covers, calling ourselves Barbara and the Hermits. And the Mariachi band Los Barbarianos Hermanos! That's a big thing for us, we're hoping to get into the Manchester Day Parade. We are available for weddings, funerals, Bar Mitzvahs, christenings, you name it!

And finally... This one goes out especially to you Chris... My face, your face... Can we make this happen?

What? It's a face swap?
Your face, my face... Can we make this happen?
I don't know what you mean... Is he coming onto me?
GIVE HIM A KISS!
*Chris "reluctantly" gives me a big sloppy kiss*
YAAAAY IT HAPPENED!!!
 That's the closest I'll ever come to kissing Aaron Turner!
You should have interviewed Voodoo Blood!
Oh yeah I should have asked them!... GOD!!!

_______________

June 3rd 2016 @ Rebellion Manchester. Photos by Si & Mel.

#307: BARBARIAN HERMIT - DEMO MMXVI

2016

Sludge Metal

Self Released

I first saw Barbarian Hermit about a year ago on a bill with BongCauldron and Pist at the tiny Kraak Gallery in Manchester. At the time they didn't strike me as the most original sounding band, or the most confident performers, but they still put on a great show with a desert stricken Kyuss kind of sound. Since then I must have seen them perform another 5 or 6 times, and the growth this band has taken is absolutely astonishing. In a relatively short time, they've gone from being the opening slot band to being headliners, before my very eyes. When you see them perform in their hometown Manchester now, you've got to fight your way to the front of the stage if you want to catch a glimpse, as I witnessed first hand at the MMC Weekender that took place this January at Rebellion Bar; a new hotspot and centre point for the Manchester Metal Collective, a scene that is bursting at the seems with not only talent, but a true sense of community. It feels weird to think that Barbarian Hermit are relative newcomers to this scene, because it feels like they are the ones in command now!

And on that same page of thought, "Demo MMXVI" is the very first release by Barbarian Hermit. And I absolutely fail to believe it... Why? Because... Just listen to it! DAMN! Even some of the greatest Metal bands out there like Kyuss, Crowbar and EyeHateGod who have inspired the Hermits could listen to this and think "Fuck, our first demo was nowhere near as great as this!" You only need to spend about a minute of opening track "Mermaid" to see where I'm coming from. For a first demo, the recording quality, the mix is just spot on. These guys have a hell of a sound going on! But what shrines through the most is how clear Barbarian Hermit's vision is. Over these 6 incredible songs you will hear some of the most CRUSHING, FLATTENING and APOCALYPTIC riffs!!! Just stick on "Burn the Fire" if you don't believe me!

There are so many fantastic moments on every song of this EP. The first time you hear the guys properly kick into full force on "Mermaid" is one of those holy shit, chills down your spine moments, as they have such a rich and thick sound that will blow your balls (or ovaries) off! The finale of "Tigerhorse" in particular is exquisite, with vocalist Si delivering a truly knockout performance. You'll probably end up screaming along as you listen, and then end up being forcibly removed from the library!

"Burn the Fire" will make you shit your pants! I'm not quite sure how exactly one burns the fire, but this song is the number 1 cause of the furniture in my house being smashed to pieces! This song has been my metal anthem of the year so far, I've broke the speed limit to it in my car, it's kept me awake in bed even when I've got to be up for work at 9am, and I've even gone poops with it blasting out of my I-phone, which gave me a new appreciation for the title! This song gets me every time and my neck will never forgive me! It boasts one of the catchiest and tastiest riffs I've ever heard, starting with Chris Wood's rumbling fuzz bass and kicking in about 1 bar before you expect it to, and then changing your life forever! Monumental is an understatement! 

"BxExAx" is another massive favourite, whose opening lyrics make me think of hellbent killer robots turning on their human masters in some futurist dystopian nightmare. The main verse riff sounds a bit like the breakdown riff from "Raining Blood" slowed down and thrown into a sludgy pit! This song is so cold and brutally heavy that it even makes me think of bands like Godflesh and Meshuggah, who embrace this mechanical, Sci-Fi, Nostromo kind of feel to their music. "Widowmaker" is a truly epic riff monster that has been punctuated by an awesome music video (also check out "Burn the Fire"'s green screen gone haywire video). Whilst "Alma" manages to show their versatility, switching from rawkus pounding Thrash worthy of early Sepultura, before out of nowhere switching into the sweetest Doom riff. I've seen people's necks snap into pieces when they perform this live! "Alma" is lovingly named after The Alma Inn in Bolton, one of the other focal points of the astonishing North West Metal scene.

The fact that this demo comes on a CD-R in a minimalist paper sleeve with the band's logo on is almost insulting, because this album length 40 minute behemoth is so good that I feel like it should be on the shelves of HMV, selling at £9.99 with the full on digipak and booklet treatment, optional gatefold vinyl edition, perhaps with some sweet Dominic Sohor artwork! This isn't a demo! This is the REAL FUCKING DEAL!!! But perhaps I shouldn't be insulted, because a true hermit will soldier on in their journey without the need for the glitz. Or perhaps Barbarian's next release is going to be so good it blows this stuff out of the water (which would be an extreme challenge indeed). All 5 band members have poured their heart and soul into these 6 songs and you can feel it. Such tight playing, such ferocious vocals, the fuzz of the bass, the harmonising riffs throughout "Mermaid", this band feel like they have been perfecting their sound for over a decade and are playing at their peak!!!

Sure I can think of plenty of bands who Barbarian Hermit sound similar to and have taken inspiration from. You can hear bits of Down, Crowbar, Kyuss, EyeHateGod, Sabbath... Sure, whatever. But when you put this CD on... You forget that ANY other band exists. It is extremely different for a band to play a style of music that has been done to death and isn't by any means original, yet make it sound completely fresh, new, exciting and groundbreaking all at the same time. You can put this band on a bill full of other great Doom bands and they will come out on top! Barbarian Hermit have walked this tightrope, and almost came out of nowhere doing it. I don't think any of us who attended that Kraak gallery gig were at all ready for it! If you haven't heard this demo yet, then GET INVOLVED RIGHT NOW!!! This is one of the finest snapshots of the incredible Metal scene that is happening right now in Manchester! Get the CD, wear the T-shirt, see the live show and you'll never look back! 10/10.

#289: JIM'S BIRTHDAY @ THE ALMA INN, BOLTON

TEN FOOT WIZARD

FORGED IN THE FURNACE OF THE SUN

CHUBBY THUNDEROUS BAD KUSH MASTERS

BOSS KELOID

BARBARIAN HERMIT

________________________________________________________

TEN FOOT WIZARD

To celebrate the birthday of legendary Alma Inn boss Jim MacGranthin, Riff Fest and Pity Fuck have put together a FREE night of boozing and balls out Metal! When I arrived at the Alma, the place was already packed out, which was marvellous to see, and filled with the many regulars who attend these brilliant North West Metal gigs and support their local Metal scene. 

What better way to get a party started than to kick off with Ten Foot Wizard! The best party hard Metal band in the land! As per usual, Ten Foot Wizard prove they are one of the most exhilarating and purely fun bands in Britain right now. It is impossible not to get swept away with their positive vibes and their huge on stage energy, that always pulls in the crowd and gets them involved and dancing and moshing. Ten Foot Wizard have a stripped down Stoner/Desert kind of vibe that would certainly appeal to fans of Queens of the Stone Age. Their songs often come fast and chuggy. What they might lack in technical finesse and serious songwriting is more than made up for by their carefree and humourous songs such as "Covered In Tits" and "King Shit of Fuck Mountain". Once again, Ten Foot Wizard created a storm on stage with their delightful, catchy riffs and their energetic frontman Gary, who even whipped out a megaphone! Metal still needs bands like this, and Ten Foot Wizard's live experience is simply unmissable. They'll never fail to put a big grin on your face! 8/10.

________________________________________________________

FORGED IN THE FURNACE OF THE SUN

This was my first time seeing and hearing Forged in the Furnace of the Sun, a Grindcore/Crust Punk band now performing at the Metal Mecca of their hometown Bolton. Let me tell you, these guys were something else! FITFOTS (nice initials there) burst into life with a crushingly heavy sound. They have mastered the art of switching between insanely fast blastbeats that weave into slower, groove laden punky riffs that have an essence of old school masters such as Discharge. Their guitar tone was suitably dirty, with (almost) bowel crushing low end bass and vocals sounding like the squawk of an eagle. The band had a fun sense of humour and banter between songs and showed a tight chemistry. In particular the fast, Grind moments of their songs were absolutely devastating, gripping and shaking the small Alma stage. I've seen similar bands play on this very stage, such as Burden of the Noose and Siege Mentality, and yet Forged in the Furnace of the Sun may have that little extra spark that leaves me even more excited. Certainly a band I'm going to keep my eye on! 9/10.

________________________________________________________

CHUBBY THUNDEROUS BAD KUSH MASTERS

This was my first time experiencing Chubby Thunderous Bad Kush Masters (yes that is the name they decided to go with) and with a name like that, and the fact the 3 piece walked on dressed in Brandon Lee's The Crow style corpse paint and wearing tie dye hippy shirts left me absolutely clueless with no idea what to expect! Within minutes of coming on though, I couldn't care less about any of those things. The Bad Kush trio were beyond excellent and really knocked me senseless. An incredibly dense and heavy sound that had obvious nods to the Desert/Stoner sound of Kyuss and Sleep, but with a bit of the technicality and winding song structures you would associate with the marvellous Slabdragger. The three men on stage didn't actually look that chubby at all, but their slow, thumping riffs certainly were. These guys had me headbanging the entire way through, and whilst they don't have the most original sound ever, they still manage to pull off the title of being Masters because their entire setup was just magical. Their guitar tone, use of feedback and psychedelic wah and reverb was just divine, and huge props to the sound engineers too as this was pretty much the ideal Stoner Metal sound in a live environment. Their riffs were so slow, lumbering, wavering and crushing that it reminded me of the Bantha creatures from Star Wars, plodding through the desert, bringing the barren heat to an otherwise cold and rainy day in the North West. The band closed with a slow Blues jam that mixed up their set a bit. The only criticism I can really throw at them is that they don't have a particularly original sound or their own little niche quite yet, but other than that, they performed the Stoner/Desert sound to sheer perfection! 9/10.

________________________________________________________

BOSS KELOID

Since I last saw Boss Keloid, they've been signed to Black Bow Records and finished recording their second album, "Herb Your Enthusiasm", and judging by the new songs and their live performances, it is likely to be one of the most exciting Metal releases of 2016! If you haven't heard Boss Keloid yet, they are a powerful 4 piece that cater to two different sides of the Sludge and Stoner spectrum. On the one hand they create colossal Stoner riffs with a dense sound that will please any fans of Mastodon and Sleep, yet they have another side to them, a much more tech side that draws from the likes of Meshuggah and Tool. Boss Keloid are a diverse act that are not instantly accessible. You actually have to listen to them and take in the notes, feel the off kilter rhythms... But when it clicks, oh boy, you'll be hooked!!! 

Tonight's performance was another flawless show of sheer technicality. The boys have been exclusively playing "Herb" tracks live for around a year now, and so they have nailed them to perfection and it shows with their recent performances. Boss Keloid don't just get you headbanging, but they are the kind of band who can hypnotise you, send you into a trance and reach deep into your soul. Their music has a real lifeblood running through it, and an almost spiritual vibe to it, in a similar way to Tool. Boss Keloid are definitely filling a void in the current Metal scene that you don't quite hear enough of, and if you like the more outside of the box and technical side of Metal, then you need a bowl of Boss Kellogs in your kitchen cupboard! Prepare yourselves... The 8th of April. "Herb Your Enthusiasm" is going to smash heads open! 2016 belongs to Boss Keloid!!! 9/10.

________________________________________________________

BARBARIAN HERMIT

I've seen Barbarian Hermit perform in various venues in Manchester about 5 times now, and I swear to God almighty they get better and better every time I see them. Perhaps it is because they are relative newcomers to the fantastic North West Doom scene or whatever you want to call it, but Barbarian Hermit are a band that are evolving and growing, before my very eyes! They may have been a latecomer to tonight's bill, but the Hermie's earned themselves a headline slot and they certainly rose to the occasion! Barbarian Hermit belt out riffs so slow and crushing that it feels like you are being buried in an avalanche. All 5 band members just churn out something so powerful and unrelenting. Even their lead vocalist has an incredibly powerful bear growl to him. When they all come together it is magic, and each time I see them they seem tighter and more honed. I've got to know their songs well now and they even put out hilarious trippy music videos to accompany them. Highlights of their set included "Burn the Fire", it's just unreal how heavy this song is, "Widowmaker", which has an irresistibly catchy Goatsnake-esque riff that you'll be humming for days. They ended their phenomenal set with "Alma", a perfect tribute to the very pub we were standing in. This song really mixes it up by kicking you in the teeth with an insanely fast chugging Thrash riff. It's like they were channelling Sepultura or something, but it switches up majestically into a ballsy, crushing sludge riff, then going back and forth between the two seamlessly. It's the wild transitions that make this song so memorable and it is perfect mosh pit material. Barbarian Hermit are a band on the up, up and up and tonight felt like it was their moment to shine, the best I have ever seen them! 10/10 

I would like to give my props to Jim, Adam, the promoters, the sound engineer and the staff of The Alma Inn. This FREE concert was the perfect way to kick start live music in 2016 and I and everyone around me seemed to be having an incredible time. The sound was absolutely spot on throughout and the night was very well organised. I've been to gigs I've paid for that I haven't enjoyed as much as tonight! It is also a wonderful thing that you get to see many of the same lovely faces at these gigs, showing how dedicated Metalheads are. Support your local Metal scene!

________________________________________________________

January 9th 2016 @ The Alma Inn, Bolton. Photos by Frenchie & Mel.